Cellulosic biomass is a significant renewable resource for the generation of sugars. Fermentation of these sugars can yield numerous end-products such as fuels and chemicals that are currently derived from petroleum. While the fermentation of sugars to fuels such as ethanol is relatively straightforward, the hydrolytic conversion of cellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars such as glucose is difficult because of the crystalline structure of cellulose and its close association with lignin. Ladisch, et al., Enzyme Microb. Technol. 5:82 (1983). Pretreatment, by means including but not limited to, mechanical and solvent means, increases the susceptibility of cellulose to hydrolysis. Pretreatment may be followed by the enzymatic conversion of cellulose to glucose, cellobiose, cello-oligosaccharides and the like using enzymes that specialize in breaking down the β-1-4 glycosidic bonds of cellulose. These enzymes are collectively referred to as “cellulases”.
Cellulases are divided into three sub-categories of enzymes: 1,4-β-D-glucan glucanohydrolase (“endoglucanase” or “EG”); 1,4-β-D-glucan cellobiohydrolase (“exoglucanase”, “cellobiohydrolase”, or “CBH”); and β-D-glucoside-glucohydrolase (“β-glucosidase”, “cellobiase” or “BG”). Endoglucanases randomly attack the interior parts and mainly the amorphous regions of cellulose, mostly yielding glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose. Exoglucanases incrementally shorten the glucan molecules by binding to the glucan ends and releasing mainly cellobiose units from the ends of the cellulose polymer. β-glucosidases split the cellobiose, a water-soluble β-1,4-linked dimer of glucose, into two units of glucose.
There are several types of microorganisms that produce cellulases. These include fungi, actinomycetes, and bacteria. Cellulases from strains of the filamentous fungi Trichoderma sp. and Chrysosporium sp. have been particularly productive in hydrolyzing cellulose. Trichoderma sp. and other strains typically produce all three types of cellulases described above (e.g., a whole cellulase system). However, one of the major drawbacks of Trichoderma cellulases and other cellulases obtained from filamentous fungi is the low level of β-glucosidase activity, and this low level of activity leads to incomplete conversion of cellobiose to glucose in the cellulose hydrolysis process. Additionally, cellobiose and glucose have been reported to be inhibitors of the cellulase enzyme system; for example it is known that cellobiase is inhibited by glucose. Ait, N., et al., J. Gen. Microbiol. 128:569-577 (1982). Poor glucose yields, whether due to deficiencies in the inherent activities of certain cellulase activities or due to the effect of end product inhibition, are impediments to commercially viable processes for producing sugars and end-products (e.g., alcohols) from biomass.
In order to maximize the hydrolysis of cellulosic substrates it would be highly desirable to develop new cellulases and particularly new β-glucosidase enzymes that could facilitate the implementation of these commercial processes.